How to Lower Your Electric Bill

Even after you’ve replaced your old AC unit with a new, high-efficiency air conditioner, there are still many ways to save energy in your Bradenton, Clearwater, St Petersburg or Sarasota home. Climate Design wants to help by sharing these helpful tips. Saving energy reduces our nation’s overall demand for energy-making resources. Increasing your energy efficiency is like adding another clean energy source to our electric power grid. This guide shows you how easy it is to cut your energy use at home and on the road. These easy solutions are good for your wallet, for the environment and they improve our nation’s energy security!

An energy-efficient home will keep your family comfortable while saving you money. Whether you take simple steps or make larger investments, you’ll see lower energy bills. Over time, those savings will pay for the cost of improvements and put money back in your pocket. Your home may also be more attractive to buyers when you sell.

The 113 million residences in America today use approximately 22 percent of the country’s energy. Unfortunately, a lot of energy gets wasted through leaky windows, ducts, old appliances or inefficient air conditioning systems. When we waste energy in our homes, we are throwing away money! The typical U.S. family spends at least $2,000 a year on home utility bills. You can lower this amount by up to 25 percent through following the Long Term Savings Tips in this guide.

Saving Energy Long Term

The key to these savings is to take a whole-house approach, and viewing your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. For example, your heating system is not just a furnace — it’s a heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat throughout your home using a network of ducts. Even a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient furnace will waste a lot of fuel if the ducts, walls, attic, windows, and doors are leaky or poorly insulated. Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy ensures that dollars you invest to save energy are spent wisely.

Some of the tips are simple to do. Others require more effort and investment, but promise big savings over the years. We encourage you to look at our tips, and to implement them around your house in order to make our planet healthier and cleaner!

2. Skip the dishwasher

3. Power down

Turn things off when you are not in the room such as lights, TVs, entertainment systems, and your computer and monitor.

4. Use power strips

Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use — TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power.

5. Set the water temperature lower

Lowering the thermostat on your water heater to 120°F can save energy.

6. Take cooler, shorter showers

Take short showers instead of baths and use low-flow shower heads for additional energy savings.

7. Wash smarter

Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes. It can be tempting to wash dirty dishes and clothes often, but waiting until you have enough to do a full load is more efficient.

8. Air dry clothes

Dryers are convenient but use a lot of energy. Opt to air dry your clothes is possible — especially in the summer. This way, your AC won’t have to compensate for the excess heat your dryer puts off.

9. Close windows and doors

Check to see that windows and doors are closed when heating or cooling your home. Running the AC when windows and doors are open wastes money.

10. Drive sensibly

Aggressive driving, such as speeding and rapid acceleration and unnecessary braking, wastes fuel, meaning you’ll have to fill up more and spend more money as a result.

11. Look for the ENERGY STAR® label

on light bulbs, home appliances, electronics, and other products. ENERGY STAR products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Contact Climate Design for AC Maintenance Service

Your air conditioning system requires a lot of energy to cool your home — but by maintaining your air conditioning system, you can ensure it runs more efficiently, saving you money along the way. If you haven’t had your AC professional checked and tuned, contact us today for service.

Did you know our team maintains, repairs and replaces air conditioning systems for more than 14,000 clients? See why our customers appreciate us so much - call us anytime, day or night. We provide air conditioning, heating and plumbing services 7 days a week, 365 days a year in Bradenton, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota and throughout the Tampa Bay area!